Arabitol is a five carbon sugar alcohol with one hydroxyl group on each carbon. It is a stereoisomer of xylitol, a well-known low calorie sugar substitute. Xylitol has anti-cariogenic characteristics and therefore has been used in commercial products such as chewing gum, toothpaste, lozenges, and low calorie sweeteners. Arabitol also inhibits the growth and acid production by cariogenic bacteria and therefore is a potential alternative to xylitol for these products.
Arabitol has been produced in the laboratory by fermentation of osmophilic yeast since at least the 1950's when first detected polyol in the fermentation residue of cane blackstrap molasses by baker's yeast. In the last 60 years, arabitol has also been produced from glucose or sucrose by various osmophilic yeast, but these processes lack the productivity necessary for widespread industrial production of arabitol
U.S. Pat. No. 9,062,329 discloses a process of producing arabitol utilizing a medium containing microorganisms, such as yeast, and a carbon source, such as a hydrolysate of plant biomass.
U.S. Pub. No. 2016/0304925 discloses the hydrolysis of soybean flour carbohydrate using an enzyme with activities of cellulase, xylanase, polygalacturonase, pectinase, α-galactosidase, and sucrose. The process generates a valuable soy protein product and a liquid hydrolysate. The hydrolysate contains mixtures of glucose, galactose, fructose, xylose, arabinose, and other minor carbohydrates.